Bachelorette's Electric Family

Bachelorette is Annabel Alpers, a singer/songwriter from New Zealand who will be releasing her third album, My Electric Family, tomorrow, May 26. Alpers makes quirky pop music incorporating elements of both folk and electronica for a varied and occasionally surprising sound that makes her new record one to get your ears on. Though she's slowly been gaining some traction in the States with her first U.S. tour last year, Bachelorette remains criminally undiscovered - but that may change if My Electric Family receives even half the attention it deserves.

Opening the record is the folksy "Instructions for Insomniacs," a gentle, guitar-led tune that climaxes into a swirling mix of synths, guitars, and ethereal backing vocals. The song falls on the more approachable and immediate side of My Electric Family, as do tracks like the electrifying, danceable "Her Rotating Head" and the dreamy "Donkey." Elsewhere, Alpers gets a little stranger, but no less fascinating with tunes like the slowly building "The National Grid," the slightly jazzy "Dream Sequence," and the sparkly closer, "Little Bird Tell Lies." Alpers enjoys blending beauty and tension both musically and lyrically, but she also remains focused on keeping the music accessible, making the melodies the first priority.

The whole experience is an eclectic, enigmatic, and - most importantly - entertaining one that I highly recommend you have. You can check Bachelorette on MySpace to hear a tune from the new record, "Mindwarp," as well as some of her older material.